


It’s Been a While, My Friend

by The_NinjaStayFam



Category: Stray Kids (Band)
Genre: Angst and Feels, Bang Chan is a Good Friend, Blood and Injury, Chan is the Mood Maker of the Group, Childhood Friends, Childhood Memories, Drowning, Flashbacks, Friendship, Gen, Han Jisung | Han & Lee Felix are Best Friends, Han Jisung | Han-centric, Happy Ending, Hospitalization, Kim Seungmin is a Good Friend, Lee Felix (Stray Kids)-centric, Mentioned Hwang Hyunjin, Mentioned Lee Minho | Lee Know, Non-Idol AU, Not Beta Read, Reunions, Some Humor, nothing graphic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-05
Updated: 2020-07-05
Packaged: 2021-03-05 02:21:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,932
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25086826
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/The_NinjaStayFam/pseuds/The_NinjaStayFam
Summary: Always expect the unexpected.He often heard this phrase being repeated in his life. Yet, he never imagined that such words could ever make such a big impression on his life.Or this is the story of how two friends find each other after being kept apart for twelve years.
Relationships: Han Jisung | Han & Lee Felix, Stray Kids Ensemble/Stray Kids Ensemble
Comments: 6
Kudos: 40





	It’s Been a While, My Friend

**Author's Note:**

> Hello dear readers!  
> Welcome to my one-shot Jilix story. This whole story was inspired by a creative writing essay title I found in my workbook and I decided to turn it into a heartwarming Jilix fic. I really hope you guys enjoy it! Feel free to leave comments or any kind of constructive criticism.  
> P.S: I will try to post another chapter of my other stray kids story as soon as I can!  
> Anyway, on with the story!

_You know it all_

_You’re my best friend_

_The morning will come again_

_For no darkness and season last_

_The light can’t hide forever from us._

_-Spring Day-_

_\-------------------------------------------------------------_

_Expect the unexpected._

Throughout his life, he was always told these three words.

He heard it at home, in school and maybe even a few times by some good ahjussi or ahjumma he met near the market place.

Regardless, Jisung never knew that such a phrase would have a big impact on his life.

Sure, he went to school like how a normal kid would. He graduated with average grades, got into college, did all the things a person in his twenties would do and finally graduated from college with a degree. Or at least, that was the order of his life that he had in his head. Some things happened in between those times. Some memorable while others he would’ve rather forget.

After college, Jisung decided to return to his old town and start his new life there. Not much change happened since he was gone. The old buildings and special trademarks of the place were still standing tall and proud. The many shops and parks he used to hang out in as a kid were still there- looking as old as he was. Even the friendly people of the town were still here and he visited as many of them as he could when he arrived home. Most of them recognized him and were even shocked to see him grow into the kind man he was today.

He even managed to meet up with some of his old school mates. Not all of them have left their little town to start a new life elsewhere. Who would have thought his best friend, Chan was one of them? He was one of his best friends since middle school. He was still the same old warm, optimistic, and friendly guy that Jisung came to know all those years ago.

The first thing he did once he arrived was to find a place to settle in. He was glad that Chan helped him out with that. Otherwise, he would have still been homeless. After that was taken care of, he went out to find a stable job and to start his life as a working adult.

Four years had passed since then. Now, he was a kindergarten teacher, working in a local kindergarten which had opened up in their town a few days after he arrived in town. He had been working there ever since the school opened and so far he enjoyed his job- mainly because of the kids.

So far, life was good for Jisung. He had a stable job, a nice small space he could call home, a decent pay and he even had friends by his side.

Ever since he had returned home, Chan had been hanging out with him every week. Chan even introduced him to Changbin who was Chan’s friend from college. Currently, both of them were renting a house together. That house had become their home as well as their workplace. Both of them had the same love of composing and writing music, so they decided to work together to slowly make their way to the top. Right now, they were busy making beats and practising their skills before they moved to the city to find a company which would accept them for their work.

Jisung did not doubt that those two would do great since he had the privilege to listen to a few of their tracks. Their creativity of turning sound into interesting beats had always left Jisung in awe. Maybe that was why he begged Chan and Changbin to teach him the basics of composing. He might not be a graduate in music, but he could maybe take it as a hobby?

Or he could even mix some beats for the kids in the kindergarten to dance to during their annual dance competitions. He can already imagine their cute smiles as they bounce and twirl on the stage with their adorable little stage outfits.

Besides Chan and Changbin, Jisung also met two kindergarten teachers who were bright and good-natured. He met Seungmin during his first day on the job at the teacher’s table while he met Jeongin when the latter joined the kindergarten a year after Jisung came in. Both of them kept Jisung accompanied in school whenever they had in between breaks and they even hung out from time to time during the weekends. Jisung even introduced them to Chan and Changbin after a while. He was glad that they all got along so well.

There was something about Jeongin and Seungmin which made him trust them so quickly. Usually, Jisung took his time to get close to someone. He has always been shy around new people and he couldn’t bring himself to walk around a place and make friends at every corner like how Chan usually would.

However, these two people had made him feel comfortable from the start. They even brought a sense of nostalgia to Jisung. Nostalgia wasn’t uncommon to him in any way since it had been following him around for a while now. However, this sense of nostalgia only came from places and things, but never from a person.

So, Jeongin and Seungmin were the first two people who brought nostalgia into his life. Somehow, those two shared the same energy, the same innocent, carefree and soft nature he had once found in a dear friend.

_A dear friend he had once upon a time._

Sometimes when he spent time with these two friends, he would find himself slipping into a time when it was just him and someone else. A person he deemed as a best friend or even a brother. It was a time where everything was alright and the world was good and well.

Yet, those wonderful memories turned out to be painful reminders of what he had lost.

There were many times, he wished he would forget about that time. That way, things would be easier. Then again, he couldn’t bring himself to forget. 

_“Jisung, I know it hurts to remember, but you have to accept the fact that it wasn’t your fault. Who knows, in the future, you will meet him again. I’m sure you will find each other one day. Until then, why don’t you happily cherish those memories? I’m sure he would still remember them so why don’t you?”_

He knew that Chan was right. The past was in the past and now he could just hope for those words to be true.

He knew it wasn’t his fault.

_“I’m…sorry. I really am. It was just an accident.”_

But _they_ keep telling him otherwise.

_“You did this to him! How could you be so careless? We could have lost him because of you.”_

_“Because of me?”_

The blame that they placed on him was supposed to remain a lie. Yet, those words replayed in his mind one too many times, turning it into a make-belief truth.

\--------------------------------------------------

It was a Friday afternoon when Jisung received the most unexpected text message. He was just packing up his things to call it a day when the phone buzzed loudly in his pocket. He fished the phone swiftly from his side and realized that the call was from Chan. He furrowed his eyebrows as he wondered why his old friend would be calling him at an hour like this.

Was he calling Jisung to remind him of their meet up later? Or maybe he was cancelling it?

Pushing those thoughts away, Jisung answered the call.

“Hey, hyung! What’s up? I was just on my way back from work?”

“Hi, Sungie.”

Jisung knew in an instant that something was wrong. He had been friends with Chan long enough to detect the emotions hidden within the tone of his voice. Currently, Chan’s voice sounded strained and it wavered slightly as if he was trying to keep his cool for some reason. His tone caused a shiver to run up his spine as his imagination got the best of him.

“Hy..hyung, what’s wrong? Why do you sound like that? Did something happen? Is Changbin-hyung alright? Are you alright?”

Jisung heard Chan sighed in defeat from the other side of the line.

“Calm down, Sungie. I’m fine. Everyone is fine. Don’t worry, okay?”

“Then, what’s wrong? You only sound like that when something is wrong.”

There was a moment of silence from the other side of the line until Chan hesitantly spoke.

“Are…are you free now?” 

“Yes?”

“Can you meet me at my place?”

“Can’t you at least give me the details on the phone?”

“I’m sorry, I can’t Jisung.”

“Why not?”

Another sigh could be detected and Jisung could imagine that Chan was just begging for him to cooperate.

“Because it’s complicated.”

Since Jisung didn’t want to stress Chan out any further. He decided to bite his tongue for now.

He would get his answers soon!

“Sure, I’ll be there as fast as I can.”

“Alright, but don’t get here too fast. I want to see you arrive safely without a scratch, understood?”

Jisung let out a breathy laugh. Even in these times of unknown stress, Chan can still succeed in being a mom.

“Hyung, I’m taking the bus. How fast can I actually go? Unless you want me to bribe the bus driver to go 100 miles per hour and stop directly in front of your house.”

This time it was Chan’s turn to snort at his response.

“Knowing you Ji, it’s very possible. Besides if Changbin hears about this, he is going to knock a lot of sense into you the next time you see him.”

Jisung laughed at that statement as he imagined the scenario in his head. Chan wasn’t kidding when he said that. He knew that Changbin cared for him like a little brother.

“I know. Don’t worry Chan-hyung. I’ll be safe.”

“Good. See you then.”

Chan ended the call after that. Now, that the reality had sunk in, Jisung couldn’t help but wonder about the situation was going to face in the next hour or so.

Why did Chan sound so serious? Did something happen while he was away at work?

“Ji? Are you okay?”

Jisung abruptly looked up from his phone to find Seungmin standing beside him with a concerned look on his face.

When did Seungmin come through the door? More importantly, how did he not feel the presence of someone standing next to him?

Now he understood why his mother had always told him that spacing out randomly was a bad habit.

Not wanting to worry his friend about his current dilemma, he smiled and decided to come up with a quick excuse.

“Hey, Min. Yeah, I’m fine. Don’t worry; I was just checking my phone.”

Seungmin gave him a funny look.

“But your screen is blank.”

Jisung looked down and he had to refrain from face-palming himself.

_So much for a quick excuse._

“Jisung, something is wrong, isn’t it.”

“No, nothing is wrong. Why would you think something is wrong?”

“You look like you had just gone through some kind of life crisis.”

At times like this, Jisung wished he wasn’t an open book. Now, there was no use lying to Seungmin about anything. This friend of his could detect a lie from a mile away and somehow find out the truth in the end. Sometimes Jisung even wonders how did this guy ended up to be a kindergarten teacher when he obviously would’ve been a great detective.

“Well, I just got a call from Chan and he wanted to meet me now at his place so I was just wondering about it.”

“Oh? Then why do you look so concerned?”

“Because it sounded urgent?”

Upon hearing those words, the man in front of him widened his eyes as he took Jisung’s bag and threw in his direction. Then, he checked Jisung’s area one last time and pulled him up on his feet. After that, Seungmin ushered him out of the staff room and practically pulled him down the corridor. His pace quickened as he got closer to the exit.

“Seungmin, what are you doing?”, Jisung asked as he struggled to keep up.

“You said it was urgent. So, I’m just helping you to speed up a little.”

Jisung didn’t understand fully what he meant until Seungmin dragged him to the parking lot. They went straight for his car. Jisung could see that Jeongin was already inside, sitting by the front passenger seat.

“Min, what are you-“

“Get in, I’ll drive you there.”

Jisung faced Seungmin with a stunned expression.

“Are you serious?”

“Of course I’m serious. Now, stop wasting time and get in.”

Immediately, Jisung opened the door and sat in the backseat while Seungmin hurriedly got into the driver’s seat and buckled his seatbelts.

“Oh, hey Jisung-hyung. I didn’t know you were joining us for lunch today”, Jeongin said.

“I’m sorry, Innie but I think our lunchtime has got to wait”, Seungmin said as he started to pull the car out of the parking space.

“If we’re not going for lunch then where are we going?”, Jeongin asked with a puzzled expression.

“Well, you can ask Jisung to explain further.”

Although Jisung was facing Jeongin’s back, he knew that his younger friend was probably frowning as he waited for an answer.

“Seungmin is dropping me off at Chan’s house. He said he wanted to meet me for something urgent.”

“Oh, but he didn’t say anything else?”

“Sadly, no.”

“Okay. I sure hope it’s nothing bad.”

Jisung couldn’t have agreed with him better.

The entire car ride was filled with small talk after that. It mostly consisted of their day, the students they taught and even a little of what kind of food they would order later. The small talk helped Jisung to calm his nerves and to keep his thoughts captive.

He was glad that he didn’t take the bus after all. Otherwise, he would have fallen too deep in thought and probably miss his stop in the process.

\------------------------------------------------

They reached Chan’s house in a record of fifteen minutes. Seungmin’s car had stopped directly in front of Chan’s house. Jisung knew that this was his cue to get off, but he couldn’t seem to get up from his spot.

“Ji, is everything okay?”, Seungmin asked.

“Yeah, I’m fine. Just-“

_Scared._

He didn’t say that word allowed but he knew that they got the message.

Why was he so afraid? It’s not like something horrifying was going to happen the moment he stepped into the house.

“Hyung, I know that your mind is probably playing tricks with you. I need you to calm down and control your thoughts. Trust me, everything is going to be alright.”

He knew that Jeongin was right. This fear, it was all in his head. There was nothing to be afraid of.

“Do you want us to come with you?”, Seungmin asked after a while.

He wanted to assure them that he could do it just fine on his own. Besides, they already went out of their way to give him a lift. He couldn’t bother them anymore.

Then again, he knew that Seungmin and Jeongin were not just anybody.

They were his friends. He could even consider them close friends judging by their years of friendship. So, if it’s something Chan wanted to tell him something important, he could surely trust them to keep it to themselves.

“I would appreciate that. Thank you”, Jisung said.

“Say no more”, Seungmin said as he made sure to park his car properly before turning off the engine.

Together, they got out of the car as Jisung went to ring the doorbell. The door opened and Chan looked almost relieved to see Jisung standing on the front steps. He looked a little surprised when he saw Seungmin and Jeongin standing behind him. However, that look was instantly replaced with a warm dimpled smile as he welcomed everyone inside.

Jisung threw a questioning look at Chan, but the elder just wrapped an arm around his shoulder as he guided them to the living room. The moment they entered the area, Jisung expected to see Changbin sitting at the couch or maybe a few refreshments around the coffee table that Chan usually sets up whenever they talk.

He did not expect to come face to face with a stranger.

The young man looked like he was around Jisung’s age. He had a messy mop of black hair, round brown orbs and his face was decorated with freckles. He wore a simple white tee with dark denim jeans.

At first, the boy looked at Jisung with an equally stunned expression. Both of them were staring at each other for a moment- unable to move due to shock.

Jisung was sure he had never seen this man before, but somehow he felt familiar.

That was when the young man flashed his signature smile and everything seemed to fall into place.

That smile. The very same smile Jisung used to see all those years ago.

He felt as if he was frozen in place as the reality he was in felt like another dream. He could hardly believe his eyes. Sitting in front of him was a man he thought he would never see again. This man was once a fifteen-year-old boy who was Jisung’s best friend.

He sucked in a sharp breath while his vision became clouded by the fresh tears in his eyes. With a shaky breath, he said the only word he could think of at that moment.

_“Felix?”_

\-----------------------------------------------

_Twelve years ago……._

_Jisung and Felix were coming home from school one day when they heard cries of help coming from nearby. The two boys knew that they had to help. So, they ran towards the sound and found two kids, one boy and one girl, drowning in the river. Felix could swim but Jisung decided against it since they didn’t know how the current was like. So, they found a nearby branch instead and together they extended it towards the nearest kid and used all of their might to pull him out._

_Once they succeeded to pull the boy out, they extended the branch to pull the girl out. However, the branch couldn’t reach her because she was too far. At that moment, Jisung thought of calling for help. They knew that they couldn’t do this by themselves. However, Felix had other plans._

_“I’m going in.”_

_“What?! Felix, are you insane? You don’t know if the water is safe.”_

_“The current doesn’t look too bad. I’ll be fine.”_

_Jisung was about to protest, but Felix had already jumped in and he was swimming towards the girl as fast as he could. He managed to get a hold of her and started to swim back with all his strength. As they were getting closer to land, Jisung had extended the branch and thankfully the girl caught it. He began to pull the girl towards him and he managed to help her out of the water too. The two kids wasted no time in running back from where they came from._

_Now, all he had to do was to pull Felix up and then he can finally breathe._

_Jisung extended the branch towards Felix so that he could grab onto it. Suddenly, when he was so close to shore, the freckled boy got knocked by a strong current._

_“FELIX!”_

_The said boy tried to swim again towards Jisung. However, this time his leg got caught up with something. Felix yelped in pain. He looked down and whatever caught his eye brought a terrifying look to his face. Every move the boy made caused a hiss to escape his lips._

_“Jisung, I’m stuck!”_

_Those words echoed in Jisung’s mind and caused him to panic. He couldn’t swim so he knew jumping into the river would only bring more chaos. He knew he should run and find help. However, he couldn’t leave him alone._

_But what choice did he have?_

_“Felix, hang in there buddy! I’m going to get help.”_

_He took off in another direction where a few houses were located. Jisung ran and never bothered to slow his pace. The few houses were vacant since the occupant might have gone off to work. So, Jisung ran until he saw a house that showed signs that someone was home. Without hesitation, the fifteen-year-old ran up to the doorsteps and knocked on the door as loud and as many times as he could._

_Under normal circumstances, he knew it was rude. Yet, the possibility that his best friend might drown at any minute made him forget about all his manners._

_The door opened up a few seconds later and a middle-aged man opened the door with an annoyed look plastered on his face. However, his look instantly changed when he took a look at Jisung._

_“Boy, what is happening here? Why are you crying?”_

_Jisung didn’t even realize his face was dripping with tears until the man had mentioned it._

_“Sir, please help me. My friend is drowning in the river nearby, can you please help me.”_

_The man was shocked to hear the seriousness of the situation. He turned his head towards the door and called out to someone inside from the door._

_“Honey, call an ambulance and tell them to come to the local river. A kid’s life is in danger!”_

_Then, he turned to face Jisung._

_“Bring me to your friend.”_

_Without a moment of hesitation, Jisung and the man ran straight towards the river to help the young freckled boy._

_\-----------------------------------------------_

_The room he sat in was completely white. His friend was lying unconscious on a hospital bed. The only sound which filled the room was the constant beeping of the heart monitor. Jisung sat near his friend’s bedside as the events of the day replayed in his mind like an old tape recorder._

_The moment Jisung arrived with the man by his side; he noticed that Felix’s face was contorted in pain while the current rocked his thin body from time to time. Felix looked pale and his movements were already slow and slightly sluggish. The man who was by Jisung’s side had already jumped into the river and swam towards Felix. The man was stronger than he looks since the current didn’t seem to bother the man at all. It was a miracle that the man got Felix unstuck and it was relieving to see the man pulling Felix towards land. However, his heart fell to the pit of his stomach when he saw the cuts_ _and the nasty gash on his right leg. Blood was oozing out from the wound and Jisung tried his best not to cower at the sight._

_They managed to use Jisung’s sweater to stop the bleeding until the ambulance arrived. Jisung accompanied him in the ambulance and stayed by his side as he whispered words of comfort to his semi-conscious friend._

_Once they arrived at the hospital, Felix was wheeled away by a couple of nurses and doctors and Jisung was left all alone until Felix’s parents came running through the door. His parents came in a few minutes later and Jisung melted into his parents’ arms as he started to cry once again. After that, everything was a blur as he waited for the doctor’s approval before he was allowed to visit Felix again._

_Thankfully, Felix was in a stable condition. He was weak because of fatigue and also due to the amount of water he may have swallowed earlier. The gash on his leg was pretty deep but luckily it was treated in time so he wasn’t infected. The doctor ordered a lot of rest and he had to be off his legs for the next two weeks or so._

_Currently, Jisung was waiting for Felix to wake up. He knew the other shouldn't wake up any time soon since he needed his rest, but he couldn’t help it. He was on an edge and he knew that seeing Felix's friendly smile or maybe even hearing his voice could give him the assurance he needed._

_Suddenly, Jisung heard loud voices coming from outside the hallway. It sounded angry and it scared Jisung. He was curious to know what was going on, so he opened the door slightly to see what the commotion was about._

_His eyes widened in shock when he noticed that it was Felix’s and his parents. To avoid being spotted, the young boy only left a slight gap between the door to eavesdrop on the conversation._

_“None of this would have happened if your kid was not with my boy”, Mr Lee said angrily._

_“What do you mean my kid? This is not Jisung’s or anyone’s fault”, Mr Han defended._

_“Darling, calm down. You’re causing a scene”, Felix’s mother, Mrs Kim said as she held her husband’s arm in an attempt to calm him down._

_“A scene? Who cares if I cause a scene? My son’s life was in danger today. Do you know how serious the situation is?”_

_“I understand it’s serious, Mr Lee. But shouldn’t you be grateful that he is safe now”, his mother, Mrs Jung said._

_“Darling, she’s right. Besides, you should thank Jisung. He saved Felix by bringing help”, Mrs Kim said._

_“Help? That boy would have been more helpful if he could swim in the first place.”_

_“Darling, stop it, that’s too-“_

_“It’s the truth. I never trusted that boy from the day I met him. Today, it only confirms that I was right. I have already made up my mind. From today on, your son will not be allowed to see my son ever again. In fact, we will even move out of this town as quickly as we can. This place has given us nothing but trouble.”_

_The conversation continued on after that. His parents and even Mrs Kim tried to defend him but Jisung closed the door softly to block it all out._

_He had heard enough._

_He leaned against the white wall and buried his head in his hands again. He knew that whatever Mr Lee said about him wasn’t true. He knew most of it came out of anger. Yet, those words had wounded him and it left a scar on his heart._

_He knew it wasn’t his fault._

_“I’m…sorry. I really am. It was just an accident”, he said to no one in particular as tears rolled down his eyes for the umpteenth time of the day._

_Those voices, on the other hand, thought otherwise._

_“You did this to him! How could you be so careless? We could have lost him because of you.”_

_“Because of me?”_

_Those were the words which haunted him through his life as he felt responsible for something he had no control of._

_\---------------------------------------------------------_

“Felix?”

The boy in front of him stood up and smiled until his eyes formed two crescent moons. Tears filled his bright young orbs as various emotions flashed on his face at once, but the most evident one of all was relief.

Relief that Jisung still remembered him even after all these years.

Jisung heard a gasp coming from behind him which must have belonged to either Seungmin or Jeongin, but Jisung didn’t bother to turn around to find out.

Felix extended his arms to welcome him into a welcoming embrace. Jisung approached him slowly. Part of him was afraid that Felix might look at him the same way his father did twelve years ago. Yet, there were no signs of resentment or judgement within them. Instead, Jisung could sense the joy and relief radiating from Felix.

Throwing all of his hesitations out the window, Jisung accepted Felix’s hug and wrapped his arms tightly around his long lost friend. His whole body shook as broken sobs filled the room. Jisung cried into his friend’s shoulders-leaving tear stained marks on the back of Felix's shirt. He was sure that his friend didn't mind in the least since he was probably doing the same as well.

A sense of De Ja Vu seemed to overcome Jisung as he remembered hugging Felix like this when the latter woke up in the hospital. At that time, Felix knew nothing about his father’s plans and Jisung didn’t want to break such heavy news to him at that moment. So, overwhelmed with feelings, he held his friend close as he cried his heart out. Jisung had a feeling that the moment he hugged Felix in the hospital was going to be the last time he would ever see his friend again. Unfortunately, he was right.

After that day, Jisung wasn’t allowed anywhere near Felix and he didn’t even get to say goodbye when his friend moved out of town. He even lost contact with him since his old phone number couldn’t be reached anymore. Just like that, they were gone from each other’s lives.

So, Jisung found it very surreal to be hugging his friend once again.

As he cried he was sure, he mumbled a lot of incoherent words while Felix did the same. They stayed like that for a while until Felix released him from the embrace as Chan handed them some tissues. Jisung knew he looked like a mess now, but he couldn’t care less.

So, he sat beside Felix on the couch and faced the latter. He noticed that Seungmin, Jeongin and Chan had already taken a seat on the other couch. Changbin was not with them so he assumed the other must be out running errands. Jisung was sure he had a lot of explaining to do with Seungmin and Jeongin later. Those two only knew about Felix since Jisung had only mentioned him to them once or twice before, but he didn’t exactly tell them the whole story.

This whole time Chan and Changbin were the only ones who knew about Jisung’s past.

Right now, Jisung had so many questions and so many things to say to the other. His mind was contemplating how he should begin their conversation. However, he did not expect these words to just tumble from his mouth.

“I’m sorry.”

Felix was surprised with the sudden apology as he gave Jisung a funny look.

“Sorry? For what Sungie? You didn’t do anything wrong.”

“No, there were a lot of things I could’ve done, Lix. I could have saved you if I knew how to swim and maybe if I would have extended the branch further you would have caught it in time and you-“

 _“_ Ji, what are you talking about? You couldn’t have predicted what was going to happen. Besides, if you ask me, I supposed to be the one thanking you. You got help, you saved my life and if I remembered correctly, you were the one who kept warning me and trying to stop me from doing anything foolish. If you ask me, whatever has happened was because of my decision so it’s no one’s fault.”

“But your father thought otherwise”, he said softly.

There was a moment of silence as Felix stared at him with unreadable eyes.

“Sungie, I don’t know what my father told you, but I do know one thing. That none of this is your fault. The reason I shifted was not your fault and the reason we couldn’t see each other again was not your fault either.”

“But he said that he knew I was trouble from the beginning. He told my parents that I was a bad company for you.”

“My father can say what he wants but you know that’s not true, Ji. I mean, I have a ton of evidence to back up the fact that you are my best friend. You were the one of befriended me on the very first day of school when I was sitting alone at the lunch table. You were the first person who ever helped me with school work and you even got me to study before my examination. Like, I've never done that on my own will before.”

Jisung chuckled at his friend’s statement. He remembered how stubborn Felix could be when it came to studies.

“On top of that, you always cared for me like a brother. You visited me at home when I was sick, you wrote me birthday cards, you cheered me up when I was down and you even encouraged me to take up dancing. I wouldn’t have joined all those performances or even dared to step on stage if you haven’t encouraged me to do so.”

Jisung smiled as all those memories from school came back to him one by one. However, this time, the memories brought him comfort and he could see all of those good times flashing through his mind without a wave of sadness taking over him.

“You know, even my mother misses you.

That statement caught Jisung by surprise.

“She does?”

“Yup. When we were in the city, she would talk about you from time to time. Sometimes, she tells me how she wished to see you again. I mean, you were technically like a second son to her.”

Jisung felt his heart warmed at those words. Even back then, Felix’s mom had taken care of him like how his very own mom would. Now that he thought about it, she did try to defend him back at the hospital when her husband said all those nasty stuff about him.

“So, please Jisung. Stop blaming yourself. None of this is your fault and I don’t think it will even matter anymore. I’m here now and I don’t think anyone or anything can ever make me leave behind my best friends again”, Felix pressed on the matter as he looked at Jisung earnestly.

At that moment, Jisung felt as if his chest became lighter as the entire burden from his shoulders had been lifted. He didn’t realize he was carrying around a giant load on himself this whole time until Felix had mentioned it. Now, that the matter was cleared. He can finally move on and break free from the voices in his head.

The truth had set him free from the lies he had been told. 

This new feeling of comfort brought a genuine smile on his lips.

“You’re right, Lixie. No more blames and no more looking back to what could or should have been done.”

“Let’s just live in the good old present and learn as we go, right.”

Those were the words Jisung’s mother used to tell them. He was glad that Felix still remembered them even though it has been a while.

“Yup. Just as you said, my friend.”

“Oi, Felix. Aren’t you going to ask how your Channie-hyung has been doing?”

Jisung and Felix giggled when he noticed that Chan was pouting since he didn’t get the attention he deserved. Besides, Chan was just as much as a brother to Felix like how Jisung was. The three of them were best friends in school after all.

“How are you doing, hyung?”, Felix asked teasingly.

“Well, much better now that you’ve acknowledged my presence.”

Jisung shook his head as he laughed at Chan’s antics. The latter has always had unique ways of lifting the mood.

“Oh yeah, Felix. There is someone I would want you to meet. This is Seungmin and Jeongin. They are my friends from my workplace.”

“Ah, nice to meet you. My name is Felix but I think you must’ve known that by now”, Felix chuckled as he shook both of their hands.

“Yup, nice to meet you, Felix.”

“Same here, hyung.”

Once everyone in the room was familiar with each other, Chan spoke up with a question that was in Jisung’s mind.

“Lix, I was wondering how did you contact me? Did you get my particulars from someone?”

“Oh, that one is an interesting story.”

“That’s good cause I sure love stories”, Jeongin said as he shifted around to find a comfortable position for himself.

Felix giggled before he cleared his throat to begin his tale.

“Ever since I moved to the city, I always thought of ways of how I could see you guys again. But until then, I continued to live my life while I looked around for an opportunity that could lead me to either of you. So, there was nothing much I could do while I was in school. As you know, I'm not a rich kid and if I ever get caught running away from home my father would've probably placed an ankle bracelet on me. So, to avoid that, I laid low for the time being. Then, I went to college and it was a bit rough at first until I slowly got used to the way things work there. After that, I met these two guys who were in the same class as me. Their names were Hyunjin and Minho.”

Chan’s eyes widen in shock as he stared at Felix from where he was seated.

“No way. Changbin and I went for a music exhibit a few months ago and we met both of them there. They were in a dance group and their dance skills were awesome.”

“Whoa, whoa, hold on. If their dancers and you were in the same class as them that means you were a dance student?”

Felix nodded his head shyly while Jisung gave him a big pat on the pat.

“Wow, that’s amazing, Lix. You’re a dancer now.”

“Well, I’m not exactly a performer, but I’m a dance teacher.”

“Wow, even better! Then, you can give me and Chan-hyung some free lessons."

“I’m glad that Felix is a dancer but what does that have anything to do with you finding Chan?”, Seungmin asked with a puzzled expression.

“Oh, right, back to the story. So, I don’t get to see them often after both of them joined that dance group. However, one day, we managed to clear our schedules for the day and finally we met up at a local café. Then, as usual, we were talking and enjoying our meal until Minho mentioned a guy named Chan. I was shocked at first cause I thought it could have been another Chan since Chan is a pretty common name. So, I casually asked him a little more about this guy he met and somehow the description they gave me sounded a lot like you that I had a hard time processing everything. Then, when I asked if they had your number, it seemed too good to be true that they actually did. That was when I called you that night and made plans to see you today.”

Jisung’s mouth was agape throughout the whole story. Somehow, fate did have a certain way of bringing people together again.

“Honestly, I couldn’t believe you called me either until you appeared in front of my house today”, Chan admitted.

“Wait a minute. Hyung, Felix called you and you never told me!” 

Jisung looked at Chan incredulously as the other sheepishly rubbed his neck.

“The thing is Ji, I would have told you it was Felix if only I had known it was him.”

“Wait, but how can you not know? You said Felix called you”, Seungmin said.

“He did call me. But he called me saying his name was Joe and he wanted to see me for an appointment to discuss some business. So, when I heard the doorbell ring, I did not expect to open the door to find my long lost friend on the other side of it. That was when I called Jisung and that’s why I sounded like how I did.”

Everyone faced Felix with different emotions present on their faces. Seungmin raised an eyebrow; Jeongin looked baffled while Jisung looked amused by his friend’s action.

“Hyung, why would you do such a thing?”, Jeongin asked.

“I…wanted to make it a surprise?”, Felix replied sheepishly.

“But Chan-hyung, when Felix called couldn’t you have recognized his voice or something?”, Seungmin asked.

“Fun fact, Min, his voice was not always this deep when we were in school. So, when I first heard his voice on the phone, I honestly thought Batman was on the line.”

The whole room erupted in laughter at Chan’s unexpected description. The whole living room was filled with the sounds of laughter until the front door opened.

At that moment, Changbin walked into the house while he hummed a lively tune. He was about to make his way to the kitchen to put the grocery bags away until his eyes landed on the people who were seated on the couch. Immediately, he stood frozen on the spot as his eyes scanned the faces of four people of whom he did not expect to see today.

“What? Ji? Min? Innie? What are you doing here? And who is that?”

Again, the whole room burst out in laughter which left Changbin feeling even more confused than he had ever been before.

Jisung knew that they owe him a long explanation. Although, Jisung didn’t mind going through the whole story again because now he had his best friend by his side.

Once again they have found a way to be a part of each other lives and he was sure that they would never stray away from each other ever again.

This day has marked the beginning of a fresh start for the two sunshine friends, but more than that, it was the start of a new friendship as eight.


End file.
